Whether for personal use or for business purposes, motor vehicles are an integral component of modern, industrialized societies. Whether transporting humans or commercial goods, safely transporting goods or the associated human cargo running the vehicles is of utmost importance. Over the years, motor vehicle companies have designed and put in place many safety features designed to minimize deaths during operation. For example, in the auto industry, car manufacturers install safety bags in order to minimize injury. New cars are being manufactured with smart technology, such as enhanced gesture control to aid the user in controlling the automobile's features, head up display, and even sensors to alert the driver when they sway into another lane. All this technology is designed to aid the user in preventing accidents.
In addition to the high tech safety features aimed at preventing accidents, it is imperative that drivers are able to clearly visualize the external environment while operating their vehicle. A well-known feature that provides safe viewing associated with all automobiles is windshield wipers. While wipers are great at removing water, they are not effective at removing bugs splattered against the windshield. In fact, use of wipers actually decreases visibility.
Devices for deflecting air streams and bug deflectors are known in the art. Most of these devices rely on an external structure attached to the hood of a car. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,184,798, 3,015,517, 3,647,256, and 3,815,700 each describe such a device.
U.S Pat. No. 5,082,321 is described as a single piece air streamlining deflector shield for a motor vehicle. The device is described as being mounted transversely, behind the leading edge of the hood of the vehicle, and which, because of its shape and construction, is self-supporting transversely over the hood to sub-surface mounting positions on the inner lateral edges of the hood. The device is further described as having a shape and construction that directs a volume of generally oncoming air, incident the front of the vehicle when in a forward motion, to pass unobstructed by the shield or mounting hardware under, as well as over, the leading edge of the shield. The shield is described as deflecting the airflow both over the upper surface and under the lower surface of the shield to combine behind the rearward edge of the shield.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,640 is described as concerning a vehicle having a deflecting surface which is attached to the vehicle in front of at least one front area. The deflector surface is described as being concave with a concavity facing forwards, which extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle so as to receive a relative air current when the vehicle is moving. The deflector surface is also described as having an upper trailing edge pointing upwards and at least one wing fixed in the relative air current immediately upstream, facing and adjacent to the deflecting surface. The deflecting surface and the wing are described as extending below the lower horizontal plane, and are adapted to form an air flow deflected upwards which is able to act as an air screen in front of the standard zone in which the eyes are situated in which the air is at least essentially still.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,135 is described as an air deflector for a motor vehicle that is adapted to be attached to the posterior portion of a roof structure of a motor vehicle for purposes of directing the flow of air over the roof of a moving motor vehicle downwardly over the rear surface of the motor vehicle. The deflector is described as comprising an air collector member having an internal air passage that is curved downwardly to deflect air movements from a horizontal flow pattern to a substantial vertical flow directed downwardly adjacent to the posterior surface of the vehicle, such device having a concave lower surface adapted to fit conformingly over the rear portion of the roof, with attachment means affixed to such lower surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,175 is described as a debris deflector to deflect oncoming wind, rocks and bugs by diverting the wind which is associated with rocks, bugs, and other debris. The device is described as diverting the rocks, bugs, and other debris up and away from the vehicle's body. The deflector is described as attaching to the front of a car, truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), or any other type of vehicle that is prone to oncoming debris, and includes a wing and a pair of pillars connecting the wing to a wind tunnel portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,651,554 is described as a vehicle shield constructed to avoid excessive hood flutter. The shield is described as including a vehicle shield region and an attachment region. The vehicle shield region is further described as being constructed for extending across at least a portion of a vehicle hood for protecting the vehicle hood. The attachment region is described as being constructed for attaching the vehicle shield region to a vehicle.